Episodes

In this episode, I’m joined by Arah Sims, and we talk about her journey in starting Kyutee Beauty in the middle of the global pandemic. Arah is a great example of someone who has been able to harness her own tenacity to make the best of a bad situation, and applied it to a need that she saw in the marketplace. Since the world has nearly closed down, Arah was able to take an existing technology in the nail and beauty industry and add her own spin and purpose to it. Just because people can’t go outside anymore doesn’t mean that they don’t want to take care of themselves and look good, and Kyutee’s success is a testament to that. But for Arah, it goes far beyond helping people feel good about themselves and the way they look.Arah has also partnered with some pretty powerful people and entities, including Michelle Obama. By way of Michelle’s “When we all Vote” initiative, Arah was able to spread awareness of her product, and more importantly the importance of voting. As a woman of c…

This BEST OF episode of #thePOZcast is near and dear to my heart and features a long time friend and mentor, Joel Lunenfeld, someone I have known for 20 years. Wow. I first met Joel my freshman year of college at University at Buffalo. He was that cool older frat dude who played guitar and was really easy to talk to- seemed like he knew it all. Over the years Joel was like a big brother- through the fraternity stuff and more importantly life. He was critical in introducing me to my first internship w/ the Buffalo Sabres and later in life, paving the way for me at #VaynerMedia. Which takes us to the present- Joel has been one of the top influencers in the digital marketing and social media space for the last 20 years and recently he shifted his focus to the Cannabis Industry. He joined NorCal Cannabis Company in 2019 as the CMO to lead communications, brand strategy, CPG development, and retail marketing efforts. Before NorCal, Joel spent six years at #Twitter as Vice President of …

In this adorable episode of The POZCast, I’m joined by Father-daughter co-hosts of the “You Must Know Everything” podcast, Jeremy and Rasa Smith. As well, my daughter Nina, joins me as my co-host. Jeremy is the author of several books including “Breaking and Entering: The Extraordinary Story of a Hacker Called ‘Alien’” which he also did a spin off podcast for called “The Hacker Next Door.” In his most recent podcast with his daughter, the two were inspired to answer some of the questions they both had resulting from spending more time together in the pandemic.So for this episode, Nina and I get to pick their brains about all things quarantine and beyond. We talk about the worst parts of quarantine, splitting school time between in-person and zoom classes, and the pros and cons of making slime in the kitchen (don’t knock it ‘til you try it). Jeremy and Rasa both let us know what each other’s superpowers are, and talk about some of the things they’ve learned from one another in quar…

BEST OF #thePOZcast: Vincent Bragg & Joe Michael NicksonMy guests on E51, Vincent Bragg and Joe Nickson have a truly incredible story, and we will get to that in a min. But first, quick backstory how I met Vincent. It was at SXSW 2 years ago at an event and I believe he asked the panel a question about “hiring prev incarcerated people.” At the time I started volunteering w/ Defy and said I gotta talk to this guy and content him w/ my guy Marcus Glover. Little did I know he was a Defy graduate. I introduced myself, we connected and the rest is history.Here is Vincent’s story: After being sentenced to several years in prison for running a Drug empire Vincent Bragg quickly learned that some of the most outside of the box thinking happens inside the box.During his incarceration he watched as his fellow convicts were able to make something from nothing – books, music, entire meals – all created between four barren concrete walls. It was here Vincent realized the cells meant to impri…

PART 2In this special two part episode of The POZCast, Michael Loeb, Founder & CEO of Loeb.NYC and I cover a ton of ground, focused on what it means to leave a legacy. Michael started his career following his father Marshall Loeb’s footsteps, who was a renowned journalist and editor at Time magazine. Michael favored the business side of the publication, and was known as the “launch boy” within the company. Michael had some early successes, helping conceive fun and intriguing products like the football phone, as well as spearheading the growth and reputation of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. After a failed launch attempt with a new periodical section, and after trying to start a different venture within TIME Inc. Michael was shown the door.This began the era of what Michael calls “the most expensive rehire in history.” Michael would end up continuing to build the idea he had at TIME outside of the company, and ended up building a credit card subscription business called S…

In this special two part episode of The POZCast, Michael Loeb, Founder & CEO of Loeb.NYC and I cover a ton of ground, focused on what it means to leave a legacy. Michael started his career following his father Marshall Loeb’s footsteps, who was a renowned journalist and editor at Time magazine. Michael favored the business side of the publication, and was known as the “launch boy” within the company. Michael had some early successes, helping conceive fun and intriguing products like the football phone, as well as spearheading the growth and reputation of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. After a failed launch attempt with a new periodical section, and after trying to start a different venture within TIME Inc. Michael was shown the door.This began the era of what Michael calls “the most expensive rehire in history.” Michael would end up continuing to build the idea he had at TIME outside of the company, and ended up building a credit card subscription business called Synapse. …

In this very special episode of The POZcast, I’m joined by Grant Cardone, Mr, 10X, to discuss life, business, and his newest challenge in shooting the most recent season of Undercover Billionaire on Discovery+. We open up talking about the show and his experience, and unravel his decisions and motivations in the process of building a monstrous business after turning over all of the resources he has worked his entire life to obtain. Grant talks about some of the split-second decisions he made that “saved his ass” early on in the competition, as well as some realizations that he came to early on in this 90-day challenge that would both haunt and motivate him throughout the challenge. We also dug in to one of the most important resources he was able to keep utilizing throughout the show-- his family-- and how that support drove him to keep pushing through the challenges.Once we finished talking about the show, I was able to ask Grant about some of the tenets of his life and mindset t…

On E131 of The POZcast, I’m joined by Jordan Harbinger, who hosts the Top Ranked iTunes podcast, “The Jordan Harbinger Show” with over 11 million monthly downloads. Jordan and I kick it off by talking about his early career, and his first endeavor into coaching and helping people learn the art of networking, relationship building and self-improvement. In 2018, Jordan started a new show completely on his own. That same year, he had amassed a huge following which led to his recognition by Apple. Jordan and I discuss some of my favorite interviews that he’s held, as well as some of his most memorable moments. From Kobe Bryant to Anthony S. Luciano recounting mob hits coordinated against the pope, Jordan has dissected his fair share of crazy stories.We also talk about the responsibilities that a podcast host has to their listeners, including the spread of information, when to be objective and when to call out a guest for lack of transparency, and how hosts can be successful by always …

In episode 123 of #thePOZcast, my guest Scott MacGregor and I talk about the business and art of recruiting, as well as how to give back. Scott is the Founder & CEO of SomethingNew and the Founder of the Talent Champions Council. He has written three books under his “Standing O!” series; or to be more specific, he’s coordinated the stories of entrepreneurs, military personnel, and other people with amazing experiences into a powerful tool for giving. Scott donates the proceeds of the series to respective causes and charities, and we dig into the inspiration and thought process behind that as well. We also talk about Something New, which is Scott’s answer to the flaws that he saw in the recruiting industry. Scott and I share a ton in common in the way of trying to fix old habits that recruiters have developed overtime, so much so that Scott has actually started to prefer to hire candidates without experience in the industry. We also talk about his company’s unique namesake, and how h…

Jackson Jeyanayagam: Vice President & General Manager of DTC at the Clorox CompanyIn this episode, Jackson discusses the importance of people-first in business. Jackson has had some terrific experiences-- whether it be joining Chipotle as Head of Digital via cold outreach, getting involved at Boxed during its early years, or joining a legacy brand like Clorox Company. Like most top performers, Jackson has been able to hone his ability to listen to his gut when his next step is unclear, and it’s led him on an illustrious career path.Jackson sits down and really fills in the blanks between each point on his resume, and explains his thought process in moving from company to company. For those thinking about making a transition or just planning out their career trajectory, Jackson takes a refreshingly thorough look at why he has made the moves that he has.He and I break down company culture, and how to confidently negotiate the terms of your own hire. We also dive into strategies fo…

Continuing the trend, for those of you that have been following along my career journey you may have noticed that I have some guests on that have been integral to my career journey and my next one, Jamal “Jay” Salim is certainly one of them. Jamal was the head of HR when I joined Boombox aka Ergo Interactive. It was a shortstop in my career before I moved over to Vayner but it was critical as I learned a ton in those few short months about myself, tough clients and finding success inside a small agency. More importantly, I made a lasting friend and powerful business connection with my man Jay. Most recently, Jamal was the People Lead at Complex, where he is leading the culture of the company synonymous with culture. Prior to Complex, Jay led the HR department at Laundry Service, an Ad Age Top 10 Agency two years in a row, and Cycle Media. Like me, he is Brooklyn Born, him in East Flatbush and me in Sheepshead Bay, which we both take a lot of pride in. Jay is also a Veteran of th…

Matt Higgins: CEO and Co-Founder at RSE Ventures, Executive Fellow at Harvard Business SchoolOn E113 of The POZcast, Matt and I dig into everything from experiencing 9/11 as the youngest press secretary in New York City history at the time, to operating as the executive vice president of the New York Jets. Matt has had a full-plate since he grew up in poverty in Bayside, Queens. As early as 12 years of age, Matt felt the pressure to take care of himself and his siblings, and prepare himself to eventually help take care of his single mother, who dealt with chronic health problems. Matt decided to drop out of high school after realizing school wasn’t for him, and ended up getting his GED so he could attend Queens College.Matt was able to secure some jobs in the press and eventually worked himself up to the position of Rudy Giuliani’s press secretary, at which time his mother passed away. Not long after, the tragic events of 9/11 occurred, and Matt spent the next two years crafting…

Tribe, please join me in welcoming my incredible guest, Cathy Heller. Each week Cathy encourages thousands and thousands of listeners on her top podcast “Don’t KEEP your Day Job” to find more purpose in their life and get paid to do what they love full time. Cathy’s show has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, HuffPost, and Inc Magazine, and has over 10 million downloads. She’s been featured several times by Apple themselves and the fans are resonating with how genuine she is. Throughout the show, she has interviewed creative entrepreneurs like actress Jenna Fischer, Seth Godin, designer Jonathan Adler, make up artist Bobbi Brown, singer songwriter Colbie Caillat, Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon, producer Brian Grazer, Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran, Starbucks’s Howard Schultz, and Gretchen Rubin to name a few. Cathy’s book Don’t Keep Your Day Job was released in November 2019 with Macmillan. It’s filled with inspirational stories from people within her own tribe …

Tribe, I am thrilled to present my 100th episode of #thePOZcast. I thought long and hard about who would be the perfect guest and thought it would be a great opportunity to share my real story and go deep into my “big loss.” For this episode, my friend, mentor and coach Brian Cristiano will turn the tables and interview me. We originally recorded this show for my RecFest presentation. We will start with my background, from landing my dream job at VaynerMedia working for Gary Vee to ultimately getting fired and the aftermath. The real story is how I became truly self aware, took accountability, being vulnerable and harnessed my inner tenacity to drive my own career forward. It came with lots of challenges and I will discuss how I overcame them and how each step made me more resilient. Ultimately, taking ownership and accountability of my losses, my mistakes, made me stronger and the man I am today. This is my story and I appreciate you joining me for this journey I call The POZ…

Welcome to the 99th episode of #thepozcast. I am proud and humbled to introduce my guest, the 55th Governor of The State of NY, David Paterson. We will unpack everything from his career before Governor, during and after, racism in America, police brutality and a ton more.For those of you who are unfamiliar with him, Gov David Paterson is a member of the Democratic Party who served as the 55th governor of NY, succeeding Eliot Spitzer and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer’s term from March 2008 to the end of 2010. He is the first African American to serve as Governor of New York and the second legally blind governor of a U.S. state. If you want to hear his entire fascinating life story, be sure to check out his book, “Black, Blind and In Charge”, out now.It is a title that hits you right between the eyes, second only to a Governor put in office by a prostitution scandal. Scandals aside, David Paterson overcame severe disability and racial prejudice to become a state senato…

Many of you know Claude Silver as the Chief Heart Officer at #VaynerMedia, serving as Gary’s right hand to be the steward of culture and people. For those who may be unfamiliar w/ my story, I worked at Vayner in 2014-15 for about 7 months before ultimately losing my job. Claude played a critical role in coaching me through that difficult time. She is a trusted ally and I am forever grateful. More importantly, I want to use this opportunity to help others who may have been or are in my shoes, struggling in their job or career search to find their inner tenacity to overcome and triumph in a bad work situation. We will get into that and a whole lot more why I truly love this woman and pretty sure you will as well.If you enjoyed this episode, check out more at www.thePOZcast.com

In episode 122 of #thePOZcast, my guests Mike Metcalf and Shaun Peet and I dig into how they apply tenacity and authenticity to anything and everything they do. Mike and Shaun have spent years working in the field of NASCAR’s pit crews, and now they’re taking their ambition and drive into the world of business consultancy, as well as authorship. Their new book which they co-authored with Stephen Copeland is called “12 Second Culture” and it embodies the lessons they’ve learned from Nascar and from life in general.Most of Shaun and Mike’s day job boils down to tasks that they must perform within fractions of a second. These guys have learned how to simplify each movement, action, and bit of execution into the most optimal overall performance they can attain. Apply that to the world of business, and you’ve got an opportunity for real, no frills growth potential.We dive into that process, as well as some of the new challenges they’ve taken on outside of the field. With all the recent…

In episode 121 of The POZcast, Tamara Keller and I break down her journey from civil engineer to Marketing and advertising professional. Tamara knew from the time that she was five years old watching Sesame Street that she wanted to defy odds and do jobs that women weren’t traditionally supposed to do-- in her case engineering. She was determined to be an engineer, and has some impressive projects such as coordinating the Pier 57 project which reconstructed a section of the Hudson River Park.Tamara would soon discover her passion for advertising and marketing after hiring an ad agency to work on one of her projects. After being unsatisfied with the work of this top-tier agency, Tamara decided that she and her business partner Kara C. Sax could do a better job. Thus, The Sax Agency was born.Eight years later, The Sax Agency has worked with cultural icons such as Amber Rose via her marches for women’s empowerment, Will and Jada Smith via their foundation, as well as other organizati…

Thrilled to be joined by my incredible co-host and world-class Somm, Sara Moll, as we taste (gulp) a special bottle of Pinot Noir with two leading ladies from the world of Advertising: Claude Silver: Chief Heart Officer @ VaynerMedia and Laura Maness: CEO @ Havas NY.On this previously live episode of #thePOZcast, along with my co-host Sara, we explore the history of women in advertising with Claude and Laura. We dig deep into the good, the bad and the ugly and what the way forward looks like.. There have been some incredible accomplishments in the last 20 years to move the equality needle in the right direction on so many fronts.Join us as Claude and Laura talk about so many intriguing aspects and thought starters to help your organization. Please comment and share to spread the positive energy! Thanks The full video is available at: https://thepozcast.com/pozcastlive/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review/rating: https://ratethispodcast.com/thepozcast The POZCa…

On episode 116 of #thePOZcast, my guest David Brier and I break down the concept and art of branding. David is well recognized as an expert in the field of helping companies brand themselves, and he enlightens us with the journey that led him to that specialization. Creativity oozes out of David; we start the interview acknowledging an oil painting of George Harrison that he did when he was 15 years old that hangs behind him. David spent a ton of time absorbing all sorts of creative influences, his lead inspirations being Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and DaVinci. He also had a love and admiration for the artistic culture in Greenwich Village and would walk around and learn first-hand from observing the sights there in his youth.David has created an Amazon Bestselling book on branding titled “Brand Intervention: 33 Steps to Transform the Brand You Have into the Brand You Need” the foreword of which was written by Shark Tank host Daymond John. Daymond is joined by other top entrepreneur…

Thrilled to welcome my guest Scott Miller to E115 of #thePOZcast as we discuss his journey through numerous different careers as a lifer at Franklin Covey that has enabled him to be a true Leadership Expert and top podcaster on the subject. He is the Former Chief Marketing Officer and EVP of Thought Leadership at FranklinCovey a WSJ Bestselling Author and host of the top rated ON Leadership Podcast, dedicated to improving our leadership capabilities. Each week he features renowned experts and authors including such luminaries as Susan Cain, Seth Godin, Dan Pink, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Carly Fiorina, Liz Wiseman, Rachel Hollis, Geoffrey Moore, General Stanley McChrystal, and numerous others. Subscribe to On Leadership: http://www.franklincovey.com/onAdditionally, he is a #1 best-selling author of his first book, Management Mess to Leadership Success, and a WSJ best-selling author of his second book, Everyone Deserves a Great Manager.Scott has had leadership positions throughout th…

In episode 114 of #thePOZcast, Robert Allen and I discuss the lessons learned in talent recruiting and some of his motives for getting involved in the industry. Robert is the Global Head of Talent Experience & People at Atlassian, a 6K employee SaaS company. Robert talks about some of the experiences he had early on in his career when working in a hierarchical organization. He explains that although he learned a ton from higher management that was typically decades his senior, he sometimes felt that his transition upwards could have been a bit more merit-based.This desire to help find the best person for the job drove him to get involved in the world of Talent Access, and Robert has been around the world learning more about people and the organizations that they help propel forward. Robert talks about how he looks at the process of placing talent, as well as how to construct a strong team from an objective perspective.We also speak about the traditional art of recruiting; getting…

This is a special audio episode of #thePOZcastLIVE (recorded 10.13.20)Talent Roundtable w/ Caitlin Lillie, Veracelle Vega, Simone Press THRILLED to bring together three leading ladies in the world of talent on #thePOZcast LIVE!The POZcast host, Adam Posner, moderates a panel around all things #talentaccess in whatever we want to call this "new norm" including:Candidate experience, hiring, firing, onboarding and keeping culture alive and thriving remotely.FeaturingCaitlin Lillie, Director of Talent Work & CoVeracelle Vega, CPO ResidentSimone Press, Head of Talent at Whip Media GroupFULL VIDEO: https://youtu.be/g4jYSejDKmMFor more, please visit www.thePOZcast.comTHIS IS #THEPOZCAST > GET INVOLVED

This is a special audio episode of #thePOZcastLIVE (recorded 10/27/20)Brilliant Brand Marketing Roundtable Joining me for an in-depth convo around all things start ups, building companies, culture and pivoting and innovating during the pandemic:Eddie Geller: Co-Founder & CEO @ Tinybeans Elias Guerra: Founder & CEO @ PopwalletAndrew Boryk: CTO @ LunchboxWatch the full video here: https://youtu.be/iUkNPa_KCwAFor more, please visit www.thepozcast.com This is #thePOZcast - GET INVOLVED